Doctor Who_ War Games - Malcolm Hulke [53]
Jamie stepped outside, breathing the sweet air. ‘It’s a bit better than No Man’s Land!’
Zoe and the Doctor joined Jamie outside. ‘How far have we travelled?’ she asked.
‘Trillions of light years, my dear. Don’t worry, no one will find me here.’
As the words left his lips a gust of cold wind blew through the exotic flowers and foliage that surrounded them.
‘No one, Doctor?’ Zoe clutched his sleeve to pull him back to the TARDIS. ‘That force field,’ she exclaimed. ‘I can feel it again, swamping me...’
Pushing against the force they tumbled back into the TARDIS and the Doctor closed the door. He thrust the controls into dematerialisation overdrive. The floor shuddered.
‘Where to now, Doctor?’ asked Jamie.
‘I’ve set the controls at random. Maybe that will shake them off.’
The floor had no sooner stopped shuddering from dematerialisation than it was shuddering again as they materialised.
‘This is impossible,’ said the Doctor. ‘Surely we can’t be landing again already?’
Zoe was first to the scanner. ‘We’re by the sea,’ she said, looking at a picture she thought was from the shore looking across water. ‘No we’re not—we’re in the sea!’ The scanner had sunk below the water now. A shark swam by, pausing a few seconds to inspect the strange object before passing on.
‘We’ll sit it out below water,’ said the Doctor. ‘We have all the air and food we need for as long as we like.’
A drop of water fell onto the control panel with a plop.
As they turned to look another drop fell.
‘It’s the Time Lords,’ said the Doctor. ‘They have no sense of fair play. They are deliberately weakening the defence system. But there’s one place we shall be safe, if I can get us there! ‘ He rushed to the controls. This time there was no gap at all between the shudders of dematerialisation and materialisation.
‘Where are we now?’ asked Jamie.
‘Outer Space,’ announced the Doctor. ‘There’s a chance they’ll lose track of us here.’
A voice boomed from all the walls of the TARDIS.
‘There is no escape. Return the TARDIS immediately to our home planet. You have broken our laws. You must face your trial.’
‘Oh, very well,’ said the Doctor. ‘If you insist.’ He returned his attention to the controls.
‘You’re going to give in?’ said Zoe.
‘Sometimes, Zoe,’ he said in a submissive voice, ‘a run-away Time Lord has to know when he’s beaten.’ With a big wink to her, his hands leapt all over the control panel, frantically turning on sufficient power to escape from the Time Lords. The TARDIS shuddered violently, heaving from side to side like a small ship in a raging sea. The trio were thrown in all directions.
‘What have you done?’ cried Jamie.
‘I’ve put it on maximum power-drive. It’s our only chance.’
‘It’s shaking itself to pieces,’ Zoe moaned, clinging on to the base of the control unit. ‘Turn down the power, Doctor, or we’ll all be killed.’
‘You’re right, Zoe.’ Exerting great effort the Doctor raised himself to the controls. He stared at the levers and knobs. ‘They’re working themselves. It’s no longer under my control.’
With a great jolt that threw the Doctor back to the floor, the shuddering and bucketing stopped. Zoe was the first to the scanner.
‘We’re back where we started, Doctor!’
On the screen a row of what looked like sidrats stood in line.
‘No,’ said the Doctor. ‘Those are TARDISes. The Time Lords have brought me home.’ He went wearily to the controls and pulled the door lever. ‘This is where I give myself up to their justice.’
The door opened and they all stepped into a materialisation area upon which the War Lords had modelled theirs. A tall Time Lord in long white robes was waiting for them.
‘Come with me,’ he said, unsmiling. He led them into a large space: not a ,room, for they could see no walls, yet not outside for they could see no sky. Two Time Lords, both dignified in their long robes, stood in pools of pale light.
On a little dais was the War Lord.
‘The witnesses have arrived,’ said the Time Lord